Rotary conveyer



F. C. JACOBY.

ROTARY CONVEYER. APPLICATION FILED um. 29, 1919. RENEWED AUG. 22. 1921.

1,401,155. Patent-ed Dec. 27, 1921.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1- I I I )Q 3 g N I lwvwtoz 1. 6. Jacob;

F. C. JACOBY. ROTARY CONVEYER. APPLICATION mm JAN. 29. 1919. RENEWED AUG. 22, 1921. 1,401,155.

Patented Dec. 27, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- PATENT FRANK C. JACOBY, OF NEWPORT, ARKANSAS.

ROTARY CONVEYER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 27, 1921.

Application filed January 29, 1919, Serial No. 273,369. Renewed August 22, 1921. Serial No. 494,373.

To all-whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK. C. lancer, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newportyin the county of Jackson and State of Arkansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rotary. Conveyers, 01' which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rotary conveyors for causing the movement of calcinc, crushed ore, sand, gravel, cement, sugar or other such masses, and may be particularly asso ciated with calcine treatment.

The primary object of the invention is to provide conveying means of a simple and improved nature capable of moving hot or cold masses, and in which the expansion or contraction of the conveying apparatus, due to heat or cold, is compensated for.

A still further object of the invention is toprovide a rotary conveyor having associated therewith improved means for feeding the mass to the conveyer and for preventing the introduction to the conveyer of substances or materials too coarse for proper treatment, and to exclude from the conveyor bulky materials or foreign objects not designed lor treatment.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the character stated which is capable of readily carrying out the conveying operation with a minimum amount of physical labor.

Still further objects reside in providing conveying means of the character stated which is equipped with improved mechanism for causing the discharge of the material from the conveyor, which embodies means for oreventin dust ordirt )asshw particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings Figure l is a side elevation of a conveying apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention,

2 is a top plan view of the improved apparatus,

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale taken. through the feed hopper and a part of the casing,

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially upon line 4-4c of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken verticallv through the discharge apparatus, l

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken through the discharge apparatus.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on a slightly enlarged scale taken upon line 77 ofFig. 1,

Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of one or" the supporting rings tor the casing,

Fig. 9 is a detail fragmentary sectional view taken through the adjoining ends of the sections of the supporting rings,

Fig. 10 is an elevation of one of the rings v for use in connection with the dust band,

Fig. 11 is an elevation of the adjustable dust band, and

Fig. 12 is a sectional view taken upon line l212 of Fig. 11.

Figs. 18 and 14- are views similar to Figs.

10 and 11, showing a modified form oi car and dust ring, respectively.

The conveying apparatus consists essentially in a rotatable drum or'casing of either circular, square or polygonal configuration in cross section, and into which the material to be con 'eyed is introduced. This conveyor may contain either hot or cold masses, or the conveyor may be subjected to hot or cold treatments as the mass passes therethrough. Improved apparatus is employed for screening or refining the mass before its entry to the conveyer, and this feeding means is'so constructed as to preventbulky materials or foreign articles gaining access to the conveyer. The conveyer may be constructed in such manner as to direct the mass fed thereto "from the feed hopper in one direction or in opposite directions in the conveyer cas-. In the present instance the conveyor The casing maybe of any desired length, and is provided with one or more series of delivery openings remote from the hopper, whereby the material within the conveyer may be discharged from the casingat a number of difierent points. The delivery openings are controlled by the operation of a sleeve inclosing the casing, and this sleeve may be readily operated by manipulation of the hand lever associated therewith.

The casing is supported in such manne 1 as to reduce friction to a minimum, and antifriction rollers are arranged in pairs beneath the casing and engage and support expansible bearing rings inclosing and snugly lit ting the casing. Any improved means may be employed for imparting rotary movement to the casing. r V i The casing in its preferred form comprises an elongated drum 13, formed of suitable metal and being circular in cross section, and this casing has arranged at intervals thereon the bearing rings 14. These rings snugly lit the casing, and are engaged and supported by the rollers 15 rotatably mounted in the bearing blocks 16. It will be observed that a pair of rollers is provided for each of the rings 1e, and it will be further observed, particularly with reference to Fig. 7 of the drawings, that the rollers are so arranged as to equally divide between them the burden of the casing. Each of the bearing rings 14 comprises a pair of semi-circular sections, each having one end recessed as at 17 and its opposite end provided with a V-shaped tongue 18 to fit in the recess 17 of the next adjacent section end. The shape of the 'recesses correspond to the shape of the tongues so that the section ends may snugly inter-fit, and openings 19 extendin through the lat eral walls of the recessed portions alinewith openings 20 in the tongues 18. It will be observed that the openings 19 are flares. out wardly, and the spring pins 21 which are employed to connect the ends of the ring sections are thus permitted to move or bend slightly within the said openings. The spring pins normally hold the ring sections so that the ends thereof are in tight engagement with each other, but by reason of the flexible connection of the ring section ends, thewear rings are permitted to expand slightly. This expansion may be created by heating the drum or casing.

The drum may be equipped with a gear 22, the latter being fitted upon one of the .expansible rings 14. This gear may be connected with any suitable mechanism (not shown) for imparting rotary movement to the drum.

The casing 13 may be formed in sections, and anyqnumber of these sections may be connected together, whereby the casing may be ext-ended or contracted. The casing sec tions nthe present instance are connected by the tubular member 23,.to the ends of which the casing sections may be threaded or in any other preferred manner secured. The section 23 is inclosed by a hopper'24, and extends at its ends through suitable openings in the end walls of the hopper. To prevent dust entering the hopper and intermingling with the materials to be fed to the conveying apparatus, or to prevent dust passing out of the hopper or casing, dust rings such as those shown in Figs. 11 and 12 of the drawings are employed. These dust rings are formed of suitable material and are formed in arcuate sections as shown. Gne section, 25, is provided at one end with an car 26 having an elongated opening 27 therein, through which a bolt 28 secured to the hopper above the casing extends. The section 29 of the dust ring is pivoted as at 30 to a plate 31 secured to theupper end of section 25, and is prevented from moving laterally of the section 25 at its lower end by the guide 32. Each of the sections 25-29 is provided with a weight 33, and by reason of the fact that the ring sections are suspended at. their upper ends, these weights will cause the lower endsof said sections to normally engage each other. It is evident, therefore, that the ring sections will at all times snugly engage with the ends of the tubular members 23 which protrude beyond 1 due to wear or changes in temperature, will be compensated for by the e-Xpansible dust band. A collar 34 is interposed between the wall of the hopper and the expansible dust band and formedwith an apertured lug 34- for passage or" the. bolt 28 and at intervals with openings 34 for passage of rivets or bolts to secure it to the hopper.

The exterior surface of the member 23 is provided with feeding or conveying ribs or blades 35, and these ribs are spirally arranged upon the surface of the said member. A rib of this character is provided near each end of the tubular member 23, and" the ribs are so disposed that rotation of the tubular member in one direction will cause material within the hopper to be moved inwardly from the end walls thereof and toward the center of the said tubular member. The ,central portion of the tubular memberis provided with an annular series of openings or slots 36 of substantially V-shape, and through which the material in the hopper is fed to the conveyer. It is obvious that as the member 23 rotates, materials fed to the hopper will be moved toward the center of the said member, and such of the material as is of surlicient fineness will pass through the openings 36 to the conveyor. The spiral ribs and J-shaped openings also, to some degree, answer the purpose of grinding or chopping mechanism, as lumps or crusts which are formed in the casing or are delivered thereto are engaged by the said ribs and the edges of the openings andacted upon to cause disintegration. By restricting the size of the openings 36, it is obvious that materials fed to the conveyer will not be of sufficient size or bulk to choke or clog the conveyor.

Each of the casing sections is provided upon its interior with a conveyor 37. The conveyers in the present instance are in the form of spirals or worms, and are affixed to the said casings so as to rotate therewith. The inner ends of the conveyers terminate with the ends of the adjacent casing sections, and the conveyors may be so disposed within their casings as to direct material in the same general direction or in opposite directions, as preferred. If desired, short areuate blades or fins arranged progressively and at angles within the casing sections may be employed instead of the worms, or any suitable arrangement or combination of conveyer blades may be used.

The sections 13 of the casing are provided with delivery stations, whereby the material. operated upon within the said sections may be delivered therefrom. Openings 38 of suitable size are provided in the casing at the desired place, and a suitable sleeve 39 incloses the casing and may be slid over or away from the said openings. This sleeve is provided with an annular groove 40 receiving the pins 41 at the end of the operating yoke 42, the opposite end of the yoke constituting a lever handle 43 protruding beyond the chute 44:. The yoke is pivoted to the chute at 45, and it is obvious that the rocking movement of the lever will cause the sleeve to be moved over or away from the openings 38 according to the direction of movement of the said lever. The material delivered to the chute 44 through the openings 38 may be collected in suitable recep tac les placed beneath the chute.

Associated with the hopper 24% is improved means for ejecting therefrom bulky substances too coarse to be introduced to the casing 13 or operated upon by the crushing mechanism within the said hopper. One side of the hopper is provided with an opening which is normally closed by the door or gate 46 pivoted at its upper end to the said hopper as at 4:7. The lower end of this door is provided with an outwardly extend- .ingarm 48, upon which is slidably mounted the weight 4-9. This weight may be held in various positions of adjustment longitudinally of the arm by the set screws 50. Any large or bulky objects delivered to the grinding apparatus through the hopper which will not readily crush by operation of the latter will be forced against the door 16, whereupon the latter will swing outwardly upon its hinges, permitting the said lumps to pass from the hopper. The weight as at the lower end of the door will immediately cause the gate to swing to closed position. By adjusting the weight upon the said arm the door can be caused to open only upon the application of a predetermined weight or pressure thereto.

In operation, the material to be conveyed is deposited in hopper 24: and the casing 13 is caused to rotate. The oppositely wound ribs 35 operate upon the material and cause the sameto move toward the center of section 23. Such of the material as is of sufiicient fineness to enter the openings 36 will pass to the interior of the said sections and will be moved by the conveyer. The con veyers cause the material to be moved to ward the delivery openings in the casing sections, and the speed of movement of the material will depend entirely upon the speed of rotation of the casing. The ma terial passes through the discharge openings 38 in sections 13 and will pass downwardly through the chutes 14. This discharge operation is controlled by actuation of the sleeves 39, as will be understood. In the present illustration only one feed hopper is shown, but it will be understood that any number of said hoppers may be employed if required. These hoppers may be arranged at intervals along the line of the conveyor 13, and, similarly, the number of discharge chutes 44 may also be varied.

In Figs. 13 and 1 1 I have respectively shown a modified form of collar 34C and dust ring 25. As shown in Fig. 13 the collar 34 is provided with an annular series of apertured lugs 34 to receive the bolt 28 and the fastening bolts 0r rivets whereby it is secured to the hopper. As shown in Fig. 1 1 the two sections 25*29 of the dust ring are provided with inter-fitting upper ends directly pivoted as at 30, and the apertured lug 26 is formed on one of the sections, as the section 29. l Veights 33' are detachably secured to the sections 25. 29% whereby interchangeable weights may be employed. In this form of dust ring the plate 32 is dispensed with and the lower ends of the ring sections are circumferentially and transversely split to provide lapping elements 32 forming a dust-proof joint and slidably connecting the ring ends to maintain them in alinement.

From the foregoing it is obvious that I have provided a conveyor apparatus of extremely simple construction and which will prove highly eflicient in practice. By mounting the rotatable drum or casing upon the rollers in the manner stated, the friction due to the operation of the device is greatly reduced. When heat is employed either internally or externally of the casing, the wear rings 14:. automatically adjust themselves, as do the dust rings constituting the sections 25-29.

While the above is a description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily restricted thereto, as variations in the construction and combination of the parts may be resorted to without departing from the invention as defined by the claims.

I claim 2- 1. In a device of the class described, a revoluble casing, means for feeding material to the interior of the casing, spiral conveyers in said casing disposed in opposite directions therein from said feeding means, and discharge means in said casing remote from said feeding means.

2. In a device of the class described, a revoluble casing having an inlet, a feeding hopper for said casing located inwardly from the ends thereof, feeding means within the hopper on opposite sides of said inlet for feeding the material from opposite sides of the hopper toward said inlet, means within the casing upon each side of the hopper for conveying materials away from the said hopper and toward the ends of the casing, and discharge stations for the casing remote from said hopper.

3. In a device of the class described, a casing, a rotatable member communicating with said casing and having filling openings therein, a hopper inclosing said member, and conveyer elements secured to the exterior of said rotatable member upon each side of said openings and between the same andthe sides of the hopper and disposed progressively toward said filling openings 4:. In a device of the class described, a casing having an inlet, a hopper for delivering material to said casing, conveyers in said'casing for causing the said materials to move, in opposite directions from said hopper, and conveyers in said hopper to move said material from opposite directions toward said inlet.

5. In a device of the class described, a rotary casing, a conveyer in said casing, the said casing having an annular series of delivery openings therein, a chute surrounding and entirely inclosing that portion of the casing having the openings, a sleeve surrounding and slidably mounted on said casing and capable of opening or closing the said openings, and a lever pivoted on said chute and adapted to control the movements of said sleeve.

6. In a device of the class described, a rotary casing having an inlet, conveyers arranged longitudinally within said casing and spaced apart at their adjacent ends on oposite sides of said inlet, a hopper inclosing said casing at said adjacent conveyer ends, and conveying means in said hopper for feeding the material from opposite sides of the hopper to the said casing.

7. In a device of the class described, a rotatable casing, expansible annular bands inclosing said casing and arranged in spaced relation thereon, rollers arranged in pairs and the rollers of each pair engaging and supporting one of said bands, and means for rotating said casing.

8. In a device of the class described, a rotatable casing, bearing blocks arranged in pairs beneath said casing, rollers supported in said blocks, expansible annular bands arranged in spaced relation upon said casing and resting upon the said rollers, and means for rotating said casing.

9. In a device of the class described, a rotatable casing, anti-friction rollers arranged in pairs and adapted to support said casing, annular bands inclosing said casing and arranged in spaced relation thereon and resting upon said rollers, each band being formed of arcuate sections having interlitting ends, and pins connecting said ends.

10. In a device of the class described, a rotatable casing, rollers to support said casing, annular bandsinclosing said casing and arranged in spaced relation thereon and resting upon said rollers, each band formed of arcuate sections, tongue portions on one end of each section, the adjacent ends of the next section having recesses to receive said tongues, the said recessed and tongued ends of said sections having tapered openings therein to register with each other, and spring pins for engagement in said openings.

11. In a device of the class described, a rotatable casing, a hopper receiving said casing, a sectional ring inclosing said casing, one end of each of said sections being pivoted at their upper ends, one of said sections being secured at its upper end to said hopper above said casing, a plate adjustably connecting the opposite ends of said ring sections, and means normally forcing the lower ends of said sections toward each other.

12. In a device of the class described, a rotatable casing, a hopper inclosing a part of said casing, dust excluding bands inclos ing said casing at its entry to said hopper, each band comprising a pair of arcuate sec tions pivoted together above said casing, one of said sections being pivoted to said hopper, a plate adj ustably connecting the lower ends of said sections, weights intermediate the ends of said sections, and a collar inclosing said casing adjacent each of said rings and fitting close to the latter.

13. In a device of the character described, a casing, a rotatable member communicating with said casing and having an annular series of substantially V-shaped filling openings therein, a hopper inclosing said memher, and conveyer elements secured to the exterior of said member between said V- shaped filling openings and sides of the hopper for feeding the material in the hopper from opposite sides thereof toward said V-shaped filling openings.

14. In a device of the class described, a rotatable drum, rollers supporting said drum, a hopper inclosing a part of said drum, the said iinclosed part of the drum having filling openings therein, conveying mechanism in said hopper on opposite sides of said filling openings and between such openings and the sides of the hopper for moving material inwardly from opposite directions toward said filling openings, conveyers arranged in said drum and adapted to move material delivered through said openings in opposite directions to said drum, the said drum having openings therein re mote from said hopper, and means for covering or uncovering said openings.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

FRANK G. J AGOBY. 

